A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand-held striking tools, such as hammers and the like, that comprise a handle which is gripped by the user and a head that has at least one striking portion. More particularly, the present invention relates to such striking tools that have a head that is secured to the upper section of the handle. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to such striking tools in which the head engages the handle and/or a connecting element is received through one end of the handle to secure the head to the handle.
B. Background
Hand-held striking tools have been in use for a very long time and are available in a wide variety of different configurations which are beneficially constructed and selected to accomplish one or more striking tasks. Such tools comprise a handle having a lower end and an upper end and a head that is either attached to or integral with the handle, typically at or near the upper end thereof. A gripping portion of the handle is sized and configured to be comfortably and safely held in the hand of the user so the user can swing the handle with his or her arm to direct the head of the tool to where the work is to be accomplished. The head of the striking tool is generally structured and arranged to accomplish the desired striking or other work objective. One common configuration for a striking tool is as a hammer with the head comprising at least one striking surface that is selected to contact a work object and achieve the desired work objective, which may be to drive the work object into another object, reshape the object, break the object into smaller pieces or like tasks. Another configuration for a striking tool is as an axe having at least one blade with a sharp edge that is driven against wood to shape or break the wood. Yet another configuration for a striking tool is as a small, hand-held pick having at least one generally pointed end that is used to contact an object, such as rock, brick, concrete pad or the like, and break or chip away a portion of the object.
With regard to striking tools that are configured as a hammer, there are a wide variety of different types of hammers. Perhaps the most common type of hammer is the claw hammer, which is utilized by millions of professional and non-professional carpenters and other construction workers throughout the world. The head of the typical claw hammer has a striking portion at one end and a claw portion at the opposite end. The striking portion of the head has an outwardly disposed striking face that is directed at and makes contact with the object, such as the head of a nail or the like, for which the striking tool is being utilized to accomplish a particular work objective, such as driving the nail into a piece of wood. The striking face may be planar or have a slight curvature thereto. The claw portion of the hammer typically comprises a pair of outwardly extending, divergently spaced apart claw members that are structured and arranged to be received under the head of a nail in a manner that allows the user of the claw hammer to apply leverage to the nail to pull or pry the nail out from where it was previously placed.
Pry bars and other tools having a similarly configured claw portion are also utilized to remove nails from an object. U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,432 to Martinez (the present inventor) describes a nail puller on the side of the head of a hammer. The nail puller comprises a pair of nail engagement edges and an opening into the hammer head. The opening is designed such that the head of the nail being pulled will fit inside the opening so the nail engagement edges will engage the underside of the nail head. The user pulls the nail out of the object by laying the hammer head next to the nail head, sliding the nail engagement edges under the nail head and then rotating the hammer head to pull the nail out of the object. The opening in the hammer head is positioned at the intersection of a striking axis, which is substantially perpendicular to the striking face, and a handle axis, which is substantially parallel to the handle shaft.
Other common hammers are the sledge hammer, ball-peen hammer and rock hammer. The sledge hammer is typically configured with a much larger and heavier head than a claw hammer and it usually has a striking portion at each end of the head, with each striking portion have a striking face. The striking faces of the two striking portions are usually configured to be in opposite facing directions. Sledge hammers are most commonly utilized to drive larger, heavier objects, such as a stake, wedge, drill, chisel or the like, or to break apart harder materials, including concrete, brick and the like. The head of a typical ball-peen hammer, which is also referred to as a machinist's hammer, has a flat striking portion with a generally planar striking face and a ball striking portion with a generally hemispherically-shaped peening surface. The ball striking portion of the head is utilized to round off edges of metal pins and fasteners, such as rivets. The head of a rock hammer, which is also known as the geologist's hammer or rock pick, typically comprises a flat striking portion with a generally planar striking face and a pick portion with an outwardly extending, generally pointed pick end. The pick portion of a rock hammer is commonly utilized for splitting and breaking rocks to determine the composition of a rock and by persons in mineral and fossil collecting to get at the minerals and/or fossils.
The handle of a typical striking tool, including hammers, is sized and configured for the user to securely, safely and comfortably grip the striking tool and to maintain that grip as he or she swings the tool and contacts the head of the tool against an object. The handle of a hammer can be made out of wood, polymers and a variety of metals, including steel, aluminum, titanium and the like. As set forth above, the head of the hammer can be attached to or integral with the upper section of the handle. In one embodiment, the upper section of the handle is sized and configured to be received in an aperture in or through the head and then secured thereto using a wedge or like mechanism. In another embodiment, the handle may be made by casting or forging and joined to the head by welding or other connecting mechanism appropriate for the materials used for the handle and head. Depending on the material utilized for the handle, the lower section thereof may be coated, covered, imbedded with or otherwise comprise a gripping material that provides the user with the ability to better grip the handle, swing the tool and absorb the contact with the object being hit.
Typically, the head of a striking tool was made out of hardened steel or other very hard metals, usually by a casting or forging process, to provide a striking portion, claw portion, pick portion or other portions which are sufficiently rigid and impact resistant to allow the user provide the necessary force with the striking tool to accomplish the desired work objective. More recently, striking tool heads have also been made out of lighter weight materials, such as titanium and titanium-based alloys, that are sufficiently strong enough to accomplish the desired striking objectives but reduce the weight of the portion of the tool that is swung by the user. In addition to being easier to carry and swing, the use of a lighter weight head increases the speed of the head as it arcs through its swing path to provide a greater amount applied force at the striking face or at the other desired striking portion of the tool. An example of a light-weight striking tool that is made out of titanium or a titanium-based alloy is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,059 to Martinez (the present inventor). Compared to hardened steels and the like, titanium is a softer material. As a result, the impact force against the striking portion of the head can result in wear and distortion, particularly at or near the striking face. To reduce the likelihood of wear and distortion, U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,308 to Thorne, et al. describes the addition of a separate, steel hardened striking member on the head of the striking tool to provide the desired striking face or working surface. In one embodiment, the hardened steel striking member has a cylindrical projection that is sized and configured to be shrink fit into a cylindrical recess in the head of a hammer, with the head being made out of the lighter weight titanium or titanium-based alloy.
Despite the various advantages of the prior art with regard to improved configurations for striking tools, including those set forth above, there remains a need for further improvements to striking tools. Specifically, with regard to the head of the striking tool, there is a need to be able to separately replace either the head or the handle of the striking tool. As well known by persons skilled in the art, often either the head or the handle of the striking tool will prematurely wear or become damaged so it is no longer useable, such as the striking portion becoming misshaped or the handle breaking, while the other portion of the tool is still useable. Presently, because it is usually too difficult or not cost effective to replace only the head or the handle of a striking tool, it is common that the entire striking tool is replaced.
What is needed, therefore, is a striking tool that has an improved mechanism for connecting the head and handle together. In one configuration, the improved striking tool should join the head and the handle together in a way which makes replacement of one of these components much easier and less expensive than with current striking tools. The mechanism for joining the head and handle of the improved striking tool should safely and effectively secure the head to the handle so these components will not become disengaged during use. Preferably, such an improved striking tool will be able to be configured as a wide variety of different types of tools, including hammers, axes and the like, so the benefits thereof can be utilized with such tools. The improved striking tool should be also adaptable for utilizing an improved configuration of a nail puller that can be utilized to help pull nails out of an object and for use with an improved striking member that reduces the likelihood of damage to the striking portion of a head that is made out of lighter weight materials, such as titanium and titanium-based alloys.